Archive for the 'Treats' Category

This traditional sugar /cinnamon cookie goodness is a favorite in my family. I tried a few recipes and found I liked so many versions of the cookie I am giving you a few options. This cookie is Paleo, Vegan,egg,grain,dairy free.

Makes 12-14 cookies

Ingredients

2 c almond flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp agave

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Options:

replace coconut oil with 3 tbsp of ghee or grass-fed butter

replace Agave with honey

Add 1 tbsp organic molasses

Dipping Mixture

2 tbsp coconut sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients together then add the wet ingredients and mix well. The coconut oil should be warmed before added. Spoon a tbsp of dough and roll into a ball. Drop into the dipping mixture and coat thoroughly. Place ball on a lined cookie sheet and using a glass to flatten the cookie on the sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes Cookies should be chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. If you used molasses the cookie will be darker and crispy . Enjoy

Happy Holidays! I will start the holiday baking extravaganza with this delicious EASY thick decadent chocolate dessert with a wonderful hint of Peppermint Twist. This dessert will not blow your healthy eating to bits and is perfect for small cozy holiday dinners. This recipe gives you an option to use organic peppermint candy or if you limit sugar in your diet use peppermint extract. OR a real cheat treat use Peppermint Schnapps.

Start by combining the coconut milk, egg yolk, 2 peppermint candy Chopped OR peppermint extract. This dessert has a hint of peppermint flavor topped with peppermint. If you like a punch of peppermint use more extract. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil then reduce heat and simmer and whisking often. Cook until the mixture thickens and sticks to the back of a metal spoon.

Put the chocolate and vanilla in a bowl. Pour the hot milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve over the chocolate and stir until blended.

I always wanted to try a creamy chocolate coconut milk tart. So I found a crust I liked and went for it. This tart takes a little time. I did not make it too sweet but you can certainly add more honey to the filling to make it sweeter. Prep time is 2 hours.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3 c pecans ground

2 eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp maple syrup

Filling:

2 cans coconut milk

4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder + 1/2 tbsp for dusting

4 tsp honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

coconut oil for greasing

Top with fresh organic raspberries or strawberries.

Start by putting the coconut milk in a pan and heat. Add the honey and bring to boil and immediately reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. I know! Trust me.

In a food processor add the pecans and salt. Add the eggs and honey and pulse until blended. Press the crust into a greased and parchment lined 8″ spring form pan OR 8″ pie pan OR tart pan. Bake the crust at 350 degrees until golden brown about 12-14 minutes. Let the crust cool completely. Remove parchment paper and place on your favorite plate.

Once the coconut milk has reduced to a thick consistency add your cocoa powder and honey. Whisk the mixture until smooth.

That’s right! This cookie has the perfect combination of flavors. I put extra chocolate on top because I can! but besides the chocolate the only sweetener in the recipe is dates. I found this recipe at Rising Moon Food, another great food blog to follow.

3-4 oz dark chocolate 77% or above (the darker the better-sweetened or unsweetened)

In a food processor or blender, puree together the soaked dates and water used to soak them. Add the coconut oil (no need to melt) and almond butter and puree until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla extract and pulse until blended. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry and wisk or stir well.

Scoop out a level tbsp of dough onto cookie sheet and flatten to approx. 2 1/2″ to 3″ disc. Use a skewer or tip of knife to make a small hole in the middle. You do not need to do this. The cookie will taste just as good.

Bake 13-15 minutes until slightly brown on edges. The cookie will harden as it cools. Melt your chocolate in a double boiler and add a (optional 1/2 tsp of almond oil or coconut oil). Drizzle the chocolate over the cookie and let cool. Keep cookies in a air tight container in the fridge if you have any left.

Directions:TO MAKE THE COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM
1. Make sure to place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (or overnight). This will cause the cream to separate from the milk. The cream will be at the top of the can.
2. Open the can of coconut milk and scrape out the cream into a medium sized bowl. Hint: I always open the can from the bottom and pour the milk out into a separate container before scraping out the cream. You can use the saved milk for smoothies and other recipes.
3. Add the vanilla and raw honey to the mixture. Whip the cream with a hand mixer on medium speed and work your way up to high speed until the cream is fluffy. Place the bowl of whipped cream in the fridge until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE TOASTED ALMONDS:
1. Place a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and allow the pan to get hot.
2. Add the sliced almonds and toss in the pan until they are toasted and turn a light brown color. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

TO ASSEMBLE
1. Remove the top and bottom from the watermelon and remove the rind from the middle section. You should be left with a cake-shaped piece of watermelon. Cut the watermelon “cake” into the number of wedges/slices you want (I recommend 6-8 slices depending on the size of the watermelon).
2. Pat the outside of the watermelon dry with paper towels (this is important because it will help the coconut whipped cream adhere better).
3. Dip the outside edge of each slice into the coconut whipped cream and then into the toasted almonds, and reassemble the wedges into the cake shape on a serving platter. Top with more whipped coconut cream and your favorite fresh fruit (I used blackberries, strawberries and kiwi). Serve or store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

♥ Melt chocolate on a double boiler or in the microwave and set-aside to cool for several minutes

♥ Mix all ingredients together (except any optional additions) with an electric mixer

♥ Once combined, fold in any optional additions into thick batter

♥ Spoon into greased or lined mini-muffin cups about 3/4 full (batter will puff nicely)

Bake at 350 degrees for 11-14 minutes – cook longer for a brownie resembling more of a cake-like batter and pull out just before done for a fudgy brownie that will finish cooking in the muffin tin after it has been pulled out of the oven

We like to use unsweetened chocolate because it’s extremely affordable, free of any weird ingredients (like soy lecithin) and readily available; if you use a sweetened chocolate or add sweetened chocolate chips later, the palm sugar will not be necessary in the recipe.

Makes 36 brownie bites (more or less, depending on how much of the batter you eat and how big your muffin tins are). Store at room temperature for a couple of days, otherwise keep in the fridge or freezer to enjoy this big batch of brownies for quite some time!